Following is a very interesting Interview from 20 years ago of Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite, conducted by our Lameco Eskrima "backyard" brother, Steve Tarani in February of 1997. This was probably the last interview that PG Sulite would give before he passed away soon after on April 10, 1997. This interview was published in Guro Dan Inosanto`s; Inosanto Academy of Martial Art`s (IAMA) "Free Voice" Magazine which was made available quarterly to those of us who trained at the Inosanto Academy. This Interview was in the Spring Issue of 1997 just after PG Sulite pased away.
In the Interview PG Sulite speaks about his years of practicing the Chinese Internal Arts of Tai-Chi and Hsing-I, both of which he had trained for quite a while back in the Philippines while he was younger. There he would get up early every morning and train his Kali, Arnis and Eskrima for hours, which was always a very intensive hard energy driven labor. He would then follow that up and finish with a Tai-Chi or Hsing-I session and then meditate to balance the "warrior inside" as he would call it, that being his spiritual being which had to be in harmonious balance with his physical being to complete both opposing sides of "yin and yang" representing both hard and soft when combining Lameco Eskrima with Tai-Chi and Hsing-I.
PG Sulite used to demonstrate to us often his push hands of Hsing-I. I remember him literally lifting our Lameco Eskrima "backyard" brother, Hans Anton Tan off of his feet and throwing him into the side of a wall to demonstrate the power of his Chi. He practiced a lot of this with our "backyard" brother Bong Hebia as well. PG Sulite would often tell us that we had to master both external and internal in order to have the best and most effective versions of our combative selves to come forward.
In addition to training Tai-Chi and Hsing-I, PG also trained Ng Cho Kung Fu from his friend and publisher, Master Alexander L. Co in addition to that PG Sulite would further condition his palms, hands and forearms with a type of Iron Palm training. All of this in addition to his Indigenous Pilipino Warrior Arts of Kali, Arnis and Eskrima.
Click on each of the two images below to read the full context of the interview below.
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Filipino Martial Arts Reported in a New York Newspaper, 1900
Article From: http://martialartsnewyork.org/2014/10/14/filipino-martial-arts-reported-in-a-new-york-newspaper-1900/
On October 28, 1900, a lengthy article appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, describing the many weapons used by the native inhabitants of the Philippines, as well as details pertaining to the method of their use, and rituals in the duel. The article, complete with illustrations, is probably one of the first in America to detail the martial culture of the Philippines, and is almost certainly the first such article to appear in New York State. Although Filipino martial arts such as Kali and Arnis had likely not yet made their appearances in New York, this article offers a fascinating glimpse at how such fighting arts were viewed by visiting Americans at the turn of the century.
After an initial examination of the social importance of the Bolo and its method of manufacture, the article proceeds to describe other indigenous weapons and their manner of use. The first is the Sundang, or northern (Luzon) version of the Bolo:
“The weapon is curiously shaped and cunningly balanced so as to throw the weight toward the striking end. Even a light blow is terribly effective. The average Filipino is as dextrous in handling the sundang as a fencing master is with the rapier.”
Next, the Campilan is described:
“It is carried over the shoulder and is never unsheathed for the first stroke. When necessity for its use arises it is brought down on the head with the scabbard on it. The blade cuts through the thread, thus unsheathing itself…There is a regular drill the Moros go through with this weapon, cutting and chopping with extraordinary swiftness while continually leaping hither and thither to avoid the return of the enemy. An individual encounter between two natives armed with the campilan presents a curious and startling spectacle. One sees the sudden stroke, hears the clap and rattle of the wooden scabbard as it lands and watches it fall to the ground in halves…It seems hideously incongruous that the recipient of the stroke should go down with his skull split at the same moment. But the sheathed steel does its work swiftly and such duels are over with the first swing that reaches the mark.”
Next, the article describes the method of using the Kris, the staff officer’s favorite weapon:
“The approved kris stroke is for the body with a peculiar weaving motion of the wrist, supposed to send the blade home and spread the wound…it is brandished above the head of the charging leader, a beacon of victory.”
Also described is the smaller punal de kris, a “diminutive but deadly weapon,” as well as the quinabasi, or knife of the private soldier:
“He carries it very much as the American private does his bayonet…Generally speaking it is a utensil rather than a weapon, though by no means to be despised at close quarters.”
The author describes other weapons as well such as the terciada, borong, andtalibong. If you’d like to read more, the entire article can be loaded and read by clicking on the image below.
Also, if you enjoyed this article, see: Filipino versus Spanish Knife Fighters and a Duel in New York City, 1931
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http://youtu.be/NtR4UTFQOGM
A month after the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in the Philippines, the battle for Manila’s liberation finally met its conclusion. The wrath of war resulted to the deaths of 100,000 Filipino civilians and the destruction of stunning landmarks that once made Manila the Pearl of the Orient.
In 1995, a monument called the “Memorare-Manila 1945” was placed at Plazuela de Sta. Isabel in Intramuros to remember this dark chapter in country’s history. The inscription, which was penned by National Artist Nick Joaquin, says that “This memorial is dedicated to all those innocent victims of war, many of whom went nameless and unknown to a common grave, or never even knew a grave at all, their bodies having been consumed by fire or crushed to dust beneath the rubble of ruins.”
From: http://www.filipiknow.net/rare-historical-videos-philippines/
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Evidence of pre-colonial FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS
May 25, 2014 12:30 am
by Perry Gil S. Mallari FIGHT Times Editor
While there is scant mention of the specific names of the martial arts that pre-colonial Filipinos practiced, I believe that various prototypes of Filipino martial arts (FMA) were already in existence long before the arrival of Spain. To me, three things serve as indicators of the existence of indigenous FMA: organized method of warfare, metallurgical technology and sophisticated blade culture. All three aforementioned were chronicled by the Spaniards when they arrived in the Philippines.
Organized method of warfareAsdang is the prehispanic Filipino term for hand-to-hand combat as mentioned by William Henry Scott in his excellent book Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society (1994), “Asdang was hand-to-hand combat. Bulu was a duel. Hulaw was a man known to be on the lookout for an enemy,” he wrote.
While it may be true that sheer number is the prime factor why the native army of Lapulapu defeated the forces of Magellan in Mactan, I am firm in my stand that the pre-colonial Filipinos were already schooled in their own methods of warfare.
Scott in his book wrote that the Visayan general term for warfare was gubat. He distinguished combat engagements into two—gahat (by land) and mangayaw (by sea). Salakay is the word used for attacking.”
On land attacks, he comments, “The preferred tactic on land was ambush—habon, saghid, hoom or pool—either by lying in wait or by such strategies as exposing a few agile warriors to enemy view to lure them into a trap. Sayang was to pass by hidden enemies unawares.”
Scott even referred to an individual tactic used while being pursued by the enemy as well as how the concept of death could affect a warrior’s psyche, “Pinaorihiyan was for a fleeing warrior to turn and spear his pursuer; naga kamatayan was to fight to the death; and mangin matay was a desperate man determined to die on the field of battle.”
Terminologies pertaining to military affairs also abound as the following lines from Scott’s book indicate, “Special roles connected with the conduct of war included away, enemy; bantay, sentinel; bila, allies; kagon, mediator; and laway, spy.”
Continue reading article here: http://www.manilatimes.net/evidence-of-pre-colonial-filipino-martial-arts-2/99117/
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The PBS Film: Crucible of Empire - The Spanish American War
One hundred years ago, United States celebrated victory in the Spanish-American War. Popular songs and headlines popularized Commodore Dewey's victories at sea and Theodore Roosevelt's ride up Kettle Hill. Although the Spanish-American War sparked unprecedented levels of patriotism and confidence, the defeat of the Spanish also raised new questions about the nation's role as a world power.
CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE: THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, narrated by award-winning actor Edward James Olmos, examines the colorful characters and historic events surrounding this 100-year-old war and its relevance to the twentieth century. When a declining Spain, beset by rebellion abroad, fell to American expansionism, the United States inherited her colonies and suddenly emerged as a world power. The experience and questions that the Spanish-American War raised about foreign intervention echo throughout the 20th century—as recent events in Kosovo show. Even in its own time, the war with Spain was understood as a turning point in American history.
As the twentieth century ends, it is instructive to note the complexities and significance of this very brief war that began this century. In the words of noted historian Walter LaFeber, "The 1898 war literally as well as chronologically ushered in the United States as a major shaper, soon the major shaper, of twentieth-century world politics and commerce." In the process, it also unified a nation still embittered by Civil War divisions; debuted the media in its role as catalyst of U.S. intervention; built up the navy and inspired a re-evaluation of the army; and vastly broadened the powers of the president in wartime and foreign affairs. Clearly, the Spanish-American War was more than the war that ended the nineteenth century; it was also the war that launched the American century.
Using original footage and period photographs, newspaper headlines, more than a dozen popular songs from the 1890s, and interviews with some of America's most prominent historians, CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE tells how issues of race, economy, technology, yellow journalism, and public opinion propelled America into this war. Four 1990s Senators bring to life the 1899 Senate debate on imperialism: Patrick Leahy (VT), Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Paul Simon (IL), and Alan Simpson (WY). The film also features Larry Linville (Major Frank "Ferret Face" Burns of "M*A*S*H") as the voice of Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt, Laurence Luckinbill as President William McKinley, and Lou Diamond Phillips as Philippine revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo.
Continue reading at: http://www.pbs.org/crucible/film.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g8NpQsmxj4
http://youtu.be/8g8NpQsmxj4 … [Read more...]

Kalis Ilustrisimo Book by Guro Peachie Baron Saguin on Punta y Daga to be released early 2014
What Is It Like to Train with the Master of Kalis Ilustrisimo?
By: Peachie Baron-Saguin Submitted by: Steven Dowd
I first met Master Tony Diego when I joined Bakbakan International in 1989. He was a friend of the Master of Bakbakan Christopher Ricketts, and was invited frequently in our practice sessions, to share with the students of Bakbakan his style in sword and knife fighting.
Master Tony Diego
When Master Christopher Ricketts left for the States, I started training with Master Diego on a regular basis with his Binondo group, the Kalis Ilustrisimo. My training then took on a leap. I was showed the proper way to hold the blade, not to grip the handle too tight, to prevent it from being disarmed when struck heavily with another sword. I was then taught the different kinds and forms of striking and blocking, and the footwork and stances that goes for each attack and counter attack. I was asked to repeatedly execute a particular strike before moving on to the next. Master Diego has always reiterated the importance of a repetitive exercise for one to gain mastery of the form.
Peachie Baron-Saguin training with
Master Tony Diego
Soon enough Master Diego taught me how to use the stick and knife at the same time. This style is called Puntai y Daga. From this style, my interest grew more and more and I always look forward to a sword play with Master Diego, where my speed and accuracy to block and strike are put to test, my distance and movements, checked and corrected. There are moments when Master Diego would attack me when my guard is down to find out how I would react. If I stopped, he would tell me not to think but just to react, otherwise I get hit. The word “sorry” is never use in the gym. If you get hit, it’s your fault.
After considerable drills with a wooden sword, Master Diego gave me as a gift, a real sword to practice on. Again my strikes and counter strikes were checked. Using the real sword, Master Diego would ask me to execute the different strikes and counter strikes.
The purpose of this exercise, he said, is to gain better control of the blade and to prevent improper techniques from developing, and thus trains the student to hit at the right angle. My first swordplay using a real sword with Master Diego was really scary, but then I passed with flying colors. Suffice it to say, I was taught not only to defend and attack on a standing position, but on a sitting and lying down position as well. The exercise of ascending and descending the stairs during a duel is so difficult and tiring. Disarming is also part of the drills.
Training with Master Diego is not easy. I often find myself catching my breath during the swordplay, while Master Diego is laughing and comfortably attacking and parrying my strikes. At the end of each session, I am totally exhausted. My shoulders ache and I could hardly lift my arms. At home before going to bed, I would take a muscle relaxant to relieve the pain so I could train again in the next session.
Master Tony Diego and Tommy Dy Tang (Tom) in action using a bladed bolo or sword in an exhib-
ition of Kalis Ilustrisimo. Tom is an instructor of Kalis Ilustrisimo, owner of the gym in Binondo
where the group practices.
As I continue my training with Master Diego, I am learning not only the art of bladed weapons but also, the essence of a good swordsman, the discipline and the commitment that one must have to the art.
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Way Of The Balisong
An independent documentary film project that examines the history and culture of the Balisong Knife.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR OUR KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN STARTING SOON!!!
Synopsis>
From the Batangas region of the Philippines, to the cutlery factories of Oregon-USA, to the practitioners and aficionados connected by the World Wide Web, this film examines the origins, history and culture of the notorious Balisong Knife.
Well-known from its appearance in films and popularity among blade enthusiasts, often overlooked is the small town which made the knife famous, now struggling to maintain its identity in a modernizing world.
Help Make This Film>
The Film is one-third through it's principle completion. Finishing the film will require your help. If you would like to support this project and be a part of history please join our mailing list and follow us on facebook / twitter to stay tuned to announcement for our Kickstarter funding campaign, starting on October 7th.
https://www.facebook.com/WayOfTheBalisongwww.wayofthebalisong.comhttps://twitter.com/BalisongMovie
Help Make This Film
'Way of the Balisong' is a passion project that started from a visit to the heritage town of Taal, in the Batangas region of the Philippines by filmmaker Paul Factora in 2012.
After hearing about the plight of the people in Barangay Balisong and speaking with prominent blade merchant Diosdado Ona about the disappearing industry within the Town it was named after, a decision was made to return and document their story.
After 2 subsequent trips to the Philippines, the story expanded. Originally intended as a short 10 minute piece, it became apparent that the tale of the Balisong knife was not relegated to just the Philippines and in order to tell the full story the project must also grow.
It wasn't just about a knife, it became about the people who pioneered a craft that spread throughout the world and how that craft is now dwindling away.
Along with a couple of friends & cameras one-third of the principle photography was shot in the Philippines completely self funded.
Completing the film in it's envisioned entirety, will require another trip to the Philippines and several interviews shot throughout the U.S.
'Way Of The Balisong' will need YOUR help to be completed.
Please join our mailing list to recieve updates on our Kickstarter Campaign beginning October 7, 2013 and stay tuned to learn what you can do to help make 'Way Of The Balisong' a reality.
http://www.wayofthebalisong.com/about.html … [Read more...]

Documentary: Itinaga sa Bato - Baybayin Documentary written by Howie Severino and directed by Cris Sto. Domingo
http://youtu.be/nk2SF81q7kY
Part 1
http://youtu.be/HWmFhBlJLko
Part 2
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/227829/publicaffairs/iwitness/itinaga-sa-bato-documentary-by-howie-severino
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2010078/
Many Filipinos are in the dark about their pre-colonial past, or Philippine history before the Spaniards came.
That past is coming to light with Amaya, the first prime-time teleserye about Philippine society and culture before Europeans knew these existed. But even that history is based on what Spanish chroniclers wrote about the islanders they called indios.
A recently discovered stone may change all that. A doormat for many years outside a Masbate classroom, the stone slab was cleaned by school children, revealing beneath the hardened mud writing in the ancient Filipino script called baybayin.
Is it really a window into our pre-colonial past, or simply the work of a more recent hobbyist?
Howie Severino and his documentary team accompany scientists to Ticao Island in Masbate as they try to authenticate the stone's origins and unlock its secrets. What does the writing say?
Their investigation leads Howie's team's to living baybayin writers in Manila trying to keep the ancient script alive, convinced that it is an essential element in Filipinos' modern identity and a way for them to stand tall in a globalizing world where many languages, and the cultures they represent, are vanishing.
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Guro Dino Flores DVD Release and Magazine article for Budo International, November 2011
February 1, 2012 By dinof2 Leave a Comment (Edit)
Guro Dino Flores DVD Release and Magazine article for Budo International, November 2011
Excerpt from the DVD backcover:
Punong Guro Edgar Sulite was one of the great revolutionaries in Philippine Martial Arts history. There were two types of students that learnt under him, those who took classes under him periodically and those whom he selected and prepared personally for becoming fighters in private training sessions in the backyard of his home, these students belonged to the Sulite Orihinal Group. Dino Flores belongs to this second elite group of specially trained fighters in Lameco and shines with his own light as one of the top selected fighters of the Lameco Eskrima backyard group. In this work he introduces and shows us a series of exercises which Punong Guro Sulite emphasized greatly upon and that develop correct distancing in a real combat situation. This dvd will help you refine the combative motions, enable you to increase the intensity within a drill, as well as show you how to use equipment correctly and help you overcome a well protected opponent. You will learn how to avoid being hit and grabbed. These exercises practiced under real contact and tension will allow you to react against the most common attacks in real time and in an effective way. The most important thing is to hit well, to have good footwork and mainly to have a great foundation.
http://www.budointernational.net/arnis-kali-escrima/1564-dvd-lameco-eskrima-backyard-sulite-original-group.html
About Budo International Magazine
Budo International is the only martial arts magazine published in seven different languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Croatian) and sold worldwide. Budo Magazine is undisputedly the largest specialized magazine in over 60 countries. They are the foremost martial arts publication in Europe, South America, Central America and Australia, as well as having editions in Greece and Czechoslovakia.Their monthly publication brings exciting and exotic masters and material that is truly universal. Budo also covers all types of events, from tournaments to movies and the magazine brings a gust of fresh air mixed with European quality to the American culture. Click on the magazine image below to read English issues of Budo.
http://www.budointernational.net/
http://youtu.be/_F-WsyfWAhs
Backyard Lameco DVD clip produced by Budo International … [Read more...]

http://youtu.be/RYlEC94XgGU
The Battle of Manila - Starts with discussion from 2 Vets memories of the WW2 Japanese invasion and internment of civilians to the military incursion to rescue the civilian prisoners at Santo Tomas and Battle of Corregidor. Battle scenes in Philippines, views of rescued US civilians, street fighting in Manila at Intramuros, bridges destroyed. Destruction of buildings from cannon fire. Japanese were told 'hold Manila or burn it' so it burned. They won by taking Intramuros. The surviving Filipinos from Intramuros did a mass exodus across the river. MacArthur then returned to Manila.
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This article was reprinted with the author’s permission from the Souvenir Edition of Arnisador Magazine published by Goodwill Publications Limited. More information about the magazine can be obtained by calling Peter Morgan in London at +44 (0) 171-895 0800. Saturday, June 1st, 1996 LAMECO: Legacy of Steel By Steve Tarani Swollen knuckles, bleeding forearms and […]

Kapisanang Mandirigma – A federation of warriors from different disciplines of the Warrior Arts of the Philippines. It is not a style, nor a representation of any singular style, but rather a federation of practitioners with similar goals to provide a vehicle for growth and personal discovery through continued training. Founded in 1998 by Guros […]

Mandirigma.org - Online Since 1998 Mandirigma Research Organization also known as mandirigma.org is a project of Kapisanang Mandirigma. Their focus includes preserving and promoting the Warrior Arts commonly known as Kali, Eskrima and Arnis. The Warrior Arts is one of the most important aspects of any society because its very nature is to defend and preserve […]

Baybayin Baybayin is a pre-Spanish Philippine writing system. It is a member of the Brahmic family and is recorded as being in use in the 16th century. It continued to be used during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines up until the late 19th Century. The term Baybay literally means “to spell” in Tagalog. Baybayin […]

Sticks of Death (Arnis: The Sticks of Death) This Filipino Martial Arts action film features Roland Dantes. Dantes plays Johnny Guerrero, a man who masters the ancient art of arnis with the help of his grandfather to get revenge on a group of crooks who attempted to beat him to death. Using two deadly sticks, […]

The Battle of Manila – Starts with discussion from 2 Vets memories of the WW2 Japanese invasion and internment of civilians to the military incursion to rescue the civilian prisoners at Santo Tomas and Battle of Corregidor. Battle scenes in Philippines, views of rescued US civilians, street fighting in Manila at Intramuros, bridges destroyed. […]

June 12 as Independence Day by Diosdado Macapagal Former President of the Philippines “A nation is born into freedom on the day when such a people, moulded into a nation by a process of cultural evolution and sense of oneness born of common struggle and suffering, announces to the world that it asserts its natural […]

The Moro Kris The kris is the most famous Moro weapon. Variations are found in every Moro tribe and it was a key symbol of a man’s status and rank in society as well as being a powerful talisman. Kris blades are wide at the base, double-edged, and can be waved, half-waved half-straight, or straight […]

Inhabiting the rugged terrain of the Cordillera Region of Northern Philippines are six ethno-linguistic tribes known as the Ibaloy, Kankana-ey, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao/Isneg, and the Bontoc. They are referred to by a generic term, Igorot, a word coined from the root word, “golot” meaning mountain. Unlike most of the Philippines, which were ruled by Spaniards […]

Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath José Rizal and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social Cancer, but more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title. Though originally written in Spanish, it is more commonly published […]

Cordillera Administrative Region The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) of the Philippines is a land-locked region consists of the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Apayao. Baguio City is the regional center. The Cordillera region encompasses most of the areas within the Cordillera Central mountain range of Luzon, the largest range in the […]

Mandirigma Research Organization/Mandirigma.org, a project of Kapisanang Mandirigma, is a research organization dedicated to cultural research. Their focus includes preserving and promoting the Warrior Arts of the Philippines commonly known as Kali, Eskrima and Arnis. The Warrior Arts is one of the most important aspects of any society because its very nature is to defend […]

Kali Klub Kali Klub, an award-winning project of Kapisanang Mandirigma, initially started as a positive diversion against drugs and gangs for youths in the Temple-Beverly corridor, now known as Historic Filipinotown. It is; a collaboration with several non- profit agencies in the area such as FilAm Arts, SIPA and PWC. Now entering their 9th year, […]

Lameco Eskrima is the system of Filipino martial arts founded by the late Punong Guro Edgar Sulite based on his training and experience with various Philippine Martial Arts masters, with heavy influence from Jose Caballero and Antonio Ilustrisimo. The word Lameco is actually a combination of words which are the three basic ranges of combat […]